Sophia Antipolis, France

Sophia Antipolis is a multicultural, multidisciplinary community focused on high-tech innovation. With 2400 hectares in a well-preserved natural setting, it is the model for competitive business clusters in France.

The Sophia Antipolis technology park, the first of its kind in Europe, is home to a great number of high-tech enterprises from across the world. Over 1400 companies, mainly in the high-tech sector, employ more than 30,000 people with 70 different nationalities. The technology park also includes 10 international schools, the highest concentration in Europe, and a major public university.

Often known as the French Riviera, Sophia Antipolis is located in the Côte d'Azur, which is on the Mediterranean coastline at the southeast corner of France. The region also includes the sovereign state of Monaco.

Maxim's Sophia Antipolis Design Center is located at Green Side, one of the principal technology centers in the park. The design center is home to the company's Handheld Power Business Unit and focuses primarily on the design of power-management devices for smartphone applications. Emphasis is placed on analog designs of switching regulators, LDOs, battery chargers, LED drivers, I/V references, USB switches, highly integrated circuits, and real-time clocks (RTCs).